Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Anyone have the new JBL Charge Bluetooth Speaker\Battery Pack?

shenan1982

shenan1982

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 23, 2011
3,641
80
So I had the JBL Flip... the sound blows away the Jambox (mini), the Logitech UE, the Beats Pill, and the Jabra Solemate, as well as all of the other mini bluetooth speakers I've tried.

Now I just saw the new JBL Charge, and I think I really want it. It improves the already best-in-catagory sound of the JBL Flip by adding bass and a 6000 mah internal battery that you can plug your lightning cable into and use to also charge the phone or ipad. This all per the advertisement.

Two questions... anyone have one? Any feedback?

And anyone find them in stock anywhere? The only place that seems to have them is JBL.com (forever shipping via ground to CA) and an Amazon Marketplace seller called World Wide Stereo, which I've never heard of.

Thanks!
 
shenan1982 said:
So I had the JBL Flip... the sound blows away the Jambox (mini), the Logitech UE, the Beats Pill, and the Jabra Solemate, as well as all of the other mini bluetooth speakers I've tried.

Now I just saw the new JBL Charge, and I think I really want it. It improves the already best-in-catagory sound of the JBL Flip by adding bass and a 6000 mah internal battery that you can plug your lightning cable into and use to also charge the phone or ipad. This all per the advertisement.

Two questions... anyone have one? Any feedback?

And anyone find them in stock anywhere? The only place that seems to have them is JBL.com (forever shipping via ground to CA) and an Amazon Marketplace seller called World Wide Stereo, which I've never heard of.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I have both and they both perform great. The JBL Charge is somewhat bigger due to the recharge features. Sound on the Charge I would say is slightly better.
 
jdecosta said:
I have both and they both perform great. The JBL Charge is somewhat bigger due to the recharge features. Sound on the Charge I would say is slightly better.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd expect the Charge to sound better. Which color did you get? Where did you buy it? I can't find it locally anywhere, and the only 2 sites (World Wide Stereo and JBL.com) both take forever to ship. LOL

It's funny I had the Jabra Solemate for a while, and I liked it, but then I bought the flip last week and was absolutely blown away by the sound quality. I can't even listen to the Solemate now, it's sound is so muddy and blah.

I really want the charge, just need to find it somewhere in stock, ugh
 
Last edited:
shenan1982 said:
Yeah, I'd expect the Charge to sound better. Which color did you get? Where did you buy it? I can't find it locally anywhere, and the only 2 sites (World Wide Stereo and JBL.com) both take forever to ship. LOL

It's funny I had the Jabra Solemate for a while, and I liked it, but then I bought the flip last week and was absolutely blown away by the sound quality. I can't even listen to the Solemate now, it's sound is so muddy and blah.

I really want the charge, just need to find it somewhere in stock, ugh
Click to expand...


Got the grayish/white one from the JBL website. On both products I wish they only needed a USB for charging instead of the huge adapter they provided.
 
jdecosta said:
Got the grayish/white one from the JBL website. On both products I wish they only needed a USB for charging instead of the huge adapter they provided.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Tho all the other similar models use a plug in as well. So in your opinion is it a significant upgrade from the flip? Worth the $50 more?
 
jdecosta said:
Got the grayish/white one from the JBL website. On both products I wish they only needed a USB for charging instead of the huge adapter they provided.
Click to expand...

so you're saying you can only charge it with the ac adaptor? i read this in the description on their website which makes it seem otherwise-

"The JBL Charge stereo speaker has a massive, built-in, 6000mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery that provides more than 12 hours of playback time on a single charge. The battery is easily recharged from the speaker’s built-in USB port, which saves you battery hassles and money."
 
kampongkid said:
so you're saying you can only charge it with the ac adaptor? i read this in the description on their website which makes it seem otherwise-

"The JBL Charge stereo speaker has a massive, built-in, 6000mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery that provides more than 12 hours of playback time on a single charge. The battery is easily recharged from the speaker’s built-in USB port, which saves you battery hassles and money."
Click to expand...

The (PHONE'S) battery can be recharged from the USB port. The usb port is a standard usb receptacle that you can plug an iPad\iPhone\iPod touch into and it's a mobile power station. The AC adaptor is the only way to charge the device.

It doesn't recharge via the USB port. See the manual for evidence:

http://www.jbl.com/images/media/Charge_QSG_EN.pdf
 
shenan1982 said:
Yeah. Tho all the other similar models use a plug in as well. So in your opinion is it a significant upgrade from the flip? Worth the $50 more?
Click to expand...

kampongkid said:
so you're saying you can only charge it with the ac adaptor? i read this in the description on their website which makes it seem otherwise-

"The JBL Charge stereo speaker has a massive, built-in, 6000mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery that provides more than 12 hours of playback time on a single charge. The battery is easily recharged from the speaker’s built-in USB port, which saves you battery hassles and money."
Click to expand...

You are right I just meant the Flip does not have a USB charging capabilities.

If you are planning on carrying around a backup battery and speaker the $60 would be the same if you purchased separately and now you have it in one package.
 
jdecosta said:
You are right I just meant the Flip does not have a USB charging capabilities.

If you are planning on carrying around a backup battery and speaker the $60 would be the same if you purchased separately and now you have it in one package.
Click to expand...

I just watched some reviews online. The general consensus is that the Flip WAS the best portable bluetooth on the market.... until the Charge came out, and it brings the same audio quality PLUS it adds the bass that was absent from the Flip. I just ordered mine!
 
I talked to the JBL product support team. They were very helpful in answering my questions. They even gave me 2 15% off coupons for their site, making the speaker only $127 instead of $149.95, and I'm only using one of them, so if you'd like the coupon and plan on ordering it, PM me and I can give you the extra coupon. I'd assume it works for 15% off anything for JBL.com :)
 
Wanted to bump this thread to see if any members here can give a review of the JNL Charge. Looking to pick it up but always like to see what the MR community thinks first...
 
Tilpots said:
Wanted to bump this thread to see if any members here can give a review of the JNL Charge. Looking to pick it up but always like to see what the MR community thinks first...
Click to expand...

I will have mine delivered Tuesday. Happy to review it at that point.
 
Charging ipad mini

Can I charge ipad mini in jbl charge using lightning cable?
And can play iTunes while charging?
 
charging ipad mini

jdecosta said:
I have both and they both perform great. The JBL Charge is somewhat bigger due to the recharge features. Sound on the Charge I would say is slightly better.
Click to expand...

Hi...have u tried charging ipad mini in jbl charge?
 
I'm going to give a brief review of the thing, so everyone has my opinion. It didn't turn out the way I was hoping, so read into it what you will.

So my story is this... I have the Bose SoundLink Portable speaker. As anyone who's heard it knows, it's amazing, spectacular, beautiful, etc. It's only flaw is it's "portable" but not small to the point of being able to put it into a small rollerbag when traveling for hotel room use.

So I bought a Jambox Mini... It's cool how you can download voices, and that it has a hard case included, but the sound, both the highs and the lows, is awful. When you crank it, it bounces off the table. Returned it.

Then I bought a Jabra Solemate... it's neat how it has some of the more advanced bluetooth features, like speakerphone, ability to answer a call on it, built in 3.5mm cord, long battery life, etc. The downside is the audio has muddy bass and mediocre highs, but still 100x better than the jambox.

I thought I'd try the JBL Flip as it got great reviews. the first time, it only lasted 3 hours, 7 minutes. Now I don't expect a small unit to last a week on vacation, but just over 3 hours is unacceptable (IMO). The other issue I had was that the highs were fantastic, the lows\bass was nonexistent. I returned it.

This is where the JBL Charge came in. I thought wow, it solves the battery, has the good highs, and the bass port, plus it's a charger. It was delivered today. I have been playing with it for several hours... and I'll be blunt... I'm not satisfied. It doesn't give enough bass production, and the lack of being able to use it as a speakerphone, and lack of it having the ability to display battery status on the phone are a deal breaker for me. I am returning it.

Am I spoiled having the Bose with the amazing sound, that nothing will ever live up to my expectations? Maybe. Maybe my expectations are out of line. I don't know. That's my two cents. For the size\price, it's a great deal for the Charge... but it's not for me.
 
^^Huh.

I got mine last night and have been listening to it for a couple hours across all genres and I've been extremely impressed. This thing gets loud! It's the size of a tallboy so it's fits perfectly in the side pocket of my backpack. I got this model over others after a ton of research. No doubt it plays the loudest in its price/size category. I purchased it to listen to it while on the beach where I live. With the waves, wind and people, the beach is not a quiet environment to critically listen to your tunes. Something like the Jambox would be inaudible out there. So the size, 12 hour battery, phone charging capabilities, and quality of the sound were why I went with this model. While I haven't taken it to the beach just yet, I'm confident it will be fantastic, solely based on how pissed my wife was at the breakfast table when I cranked it. :D

I'm no audiophile, but I've listened to everything from Pearl Jam to Sublime, Snoop Dog to Rage Against the Machine, Ryan Adams to the Zak Brown Band, Stevie Wonder to Michael Jackson. It all sounds great to my ears. I'll be pairing it to my iPad today to listen to the Masters app. Pumped! I work in a loud environment and the iPad never gets loud enough to hear from across the room. This will never be a problem again.

If y'all have questions, shoot.
 
Tilpots said:
^^Huh.

I got mine last night and have been listening to it for a couple hours across all genres and I've been extremely impressed. This thing gets loud! It's the size of a tallboy so it's fits perfectly in the side pocket of my backpack. I got this model over others after a ton of research. No doubt it plays the loudest in its price/size category. I purchased it to listen to it while on the beach where I live. With the waves, wind and people, the beach is not a quiet environment to critically listen to your tunes. Something like the Jambox would be inaudible out there. So the size, 12 hour battery, phone charging capabilities, and quality of the sound were why I went with this model. While I haven't taken it to the beach just yet, I'm confident it will be fantastic, solely based on how pissed my wife was at the breakfast table when I cranked it. :D

I'm no audiophile, but I've listened to everything from Pearl Jam to Sublime, Snoop Dog to Rage Against the Machine, Ryan Adams to the Zak Brown Band, Stevie Wonder to Michael Jackson. It all sounds great to my ears. I'll be pairing it to my iPad today to listen to the Masters app. Pumped! I work in a loud environment and the iPad never gets loud enough to hear from across the room. This will never be a problem again.

If y'all have questions, shoot.
Click to expand...

You're that guy at the beach who ruins the "beach sounds" with Sublime and Snoop Dog, haha.

But seriously, it is GOOD, it's just not amazing once you've had a SoundLink. For it's size and portability, it's the best out there, just doesn't give me the bass I want.
 
shenan1982 said:
The (PHONE'S) battery can be recharged from the USB port. The usb port is a standard usb receptacle that you can plug an iPad\iPhone\iPod touch into and it's a mobile power station. The AC adaptor is the only way to charge the device.

It doesn't recharge via the USB port. See the manual for evidence:

http://www.jbl.com/images/media/Charge_QSG_EN.pdf
Click to expand...

Could you try charging your Charge via the micro-USB port and let us know if it works? I was reading CNet's review and they claim it's possible for the Charge to be recharged via USB:

I did appreciate that the Charge comes with a protective neoprene carrying case; it's nothing fancy, but it's nice. In contrast, the AC adapter that ships with the product is pretty generic looking. But at least this unit charges with a standard micro-USB cable. That means any standard tablet charger (2 amps or better -- like the one that comes with the iPad) should juice up the Charge itself; don't expect to charge it with a cell phone adapter.

Link here: http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-speakers/jbl-charge-blue/4505-11313_7-35613369.html
 
misterbig said:
Could you try charging your Charge via the micro-USB port and let us know if it works? I was reading CNet's review and they claim it's possible for the Charge to be recharged via USB:

I did appreciate that the Charge comes with a protective neoprene carrying case; it's nothing fancy, but it's nice. In contrast, the AC adapter that ships with the product is pretty generic looking. But at least this unit charges with a standard micro-USB cable. That means any standard tablet charger (2 amps or better -- like the one that comes with the iPad) should juice up the Charge itself; don't expect to charge it with a cell phone adapter.

Link here: http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-speakers/jbl-charge-blue/4505-11313_7-35613369.html
Click to expand...

Yes, the microusb port is the mechanism for charging . It comes with a USB cord that plugs into the power brick or the computer. Charging via microusb from the computer takes forever, but it works.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back